Marisa And The Moths
Live At Studio 3 Abbey Road
Self Released
It’s a bold move to go for a live studio album. The obvious upside is that you can capture that venue vibe, the downside being you might capture too much of that venue vibe. So the expectation is studio production but you might end up highlighting any chinks in your armour. Marisa And The Moths though have pulled off this balancing act brilliantly, mainly because with them it appears their armour is airtight. Their song writing and performance is so good if a more illustrious act had released this the critics would be falling over themselves in praise. The standard of musicianship matches the writing. It is outstanding, full of unexpected twists and builds beautifully in each song. Added to that Marisa herself has a voice of liquid gold. She moves through the gears from seductive understatement to ballsy rock effortlessly. This is a world class singer awaiting wider discovery. When that happens, and it will if there’s any justice, this will become one of those sought after ‘classic’ albums. If you’re a fan of high quality rock music then you need this in your collection.
Review by Gary Trueman